Restaurant Rater

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So…on Saturday night we went to the well-known French restaurant (rated amongst the top restaurants in the country), Auberge Michel…….the decoration was modern, tables spread out…waiters dressed in white…..for starters my mom and I both had the Tomato tartar with buffalo mozzarella….the buffalo mozzarella had the consistency of a thick Greek yoghurt…it was absolutely divine….my husband opted for no starter, while my dad had the bread Ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and a drizzled with truffle oil..he said it was great…..my mom felt that the dough was too thick….for mains my dad and husband had the 700g rib of beef which was served with some chips….perfectly cooked…bernaise sauce was fab….my mom and I both had the roasted salmon on a bed of leaks with  lobster sauce….also great…..so the food…so far…I have absolutely no complaints….for dessert my husband and my dad both had the peach mile feuille….rather small…but tasted good….so now….I must say the food was great…but the prices are outrageous for what you get….def not worth paying the price…hence the restaurant gets a 3.5….I mean the mille feuille cost R75…how do you justify that…the beef R255…..imported wines started at R700 (we had a SA wine)…for those prices I expected a sorbet (pallet cleanser) in between….I would not go back…but like I said the food was fab….just not for that price…I have gone to other amazing top 10 restaurants and not paid that much…it’s not like there was frois gras on the beef….anyway……good food and a good evening……

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On Sunday my husband and I felt like going out for a breakfast…..I know I love Tashas…but having been twice already in the past week I felt like something else……my husband is not a breakfast person, so he wished for a Prego role….and so the choice was narrowed right down….Bayleaf and Sage….I had no complains because I love that spot…..so as we arrived there about 9:30, it was absolutely packed….crazy…we got one of the last tables right at the back (I don’t mind)….we ordered tea and a coke…..then for breakfast my husband ordered his fillet Prego role and I ordered the Strawberry and Nut breakfast (layers of nuts in honey, natural yoghurt and strawberries), nice and light….love it….it was actually interesting to sit at the back…heard the manager…always checking that staff was busy…that food was delivered as it came onto the hot plate…..it was great to observe…..needless to say…the breakfast was fab…def going again….wanna have the mama’s crepes again (crepes stuffed with warm berries and ricotta)…yum yum….

Wednesday night I felt like making stuffed peppers…now it’s a bit of en effort cause you have to pre-cook the rice and also the mince and the veggies….but it’s not so hard…..

What you need (for 2 people):

• ½ cup uncooked Basmati rice
• 250g mince
• 1 onion chooped
• 1 fresh chilli chopped
• 1T garlic
• Splash soya sauce (optional)
• 1 cup frozen veggies
• 2 peppers
• Handful of cheddar cheese

First prepare all the ingredients that will go into the peppers…cook the rice (cook exactly like on instructions, first soak in cold water for 15min (drain excess water), bring 3l of water to boil (if you have ½ cup rice), once boiling add the rice and reduce heat,  simmer for 15min, then poor out excess water and steam rice (with lid closed)for 7min)…nice and fluffy.

While the rice is cooking, cook the mince, onion, garlic and chili and add a splash of soya sauce. Also microwave the frozen veggies (so they not frozen…)….now its time to prepare your peppers…..cut of the lid (that is the side with the stalk) and de-seed…..then….pre-heat oven to 180…now it’s time to assemble the  peppers…..mix the rice with the mince and veggies…stuff the peppers….close the peppers with their lids (this is vital otherwise the top goes hard), put into oven for  30-40min, until the skin of the peppers goes brown, the last 5min you should add the handful of cheddar, and remove lid……then serve the peppers…the extra stuffing should be placed on the table….cause one pepper and stuffing won’t fill you….another idea…just stuff peppers with mince and veggies and serve rice on the side…whatever you prefer….enjoy…..funny enough my husband hates cold peppers…but roasted like this…he loves them…definitely use the red or yellow peppers though…..

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DR Paw Paw…..this morning I had breakfast at Tasha’s…usual spot I guess….had my Rooibos tea..ordered with honey and lemon slices…and both came with the tea…excellent….then I stared at the menu…there are just so many nice things…like I have said many times….anyway….i opted for something new (reason because so far I actually haven’t had anything bad….just large portions)…..so the Dr Paw Paw is a whole Paw Paw slices, topped with yoghurt, almonds and honey….man it was delicious…and just the right portion…absolutely loved it……now def want to try the bananas topped with yoghurt and Pistachio and halva…sounds awesome too….my friend had the oats…came with stewed berries, milk and butter and brown sugar on the side…looked nice….but was a large portion….but I think I would try it….I love that place…it’s also so vibey… always a buzz….hope I am convincing you to go there…….

• 1.2 kg boned chicken pieces (I used thighs and legs…if you don’t want all bones, then at least half because of the flavor…I actually did half and the other half I used boneless thighs)
• 500ml red wine
• 100ml chicken stock
• 3 Bayleaves
• Little bit of clover spice
• Punett button mushrooms (the baby ones)
• 2T hot mustard
• One small tin of tomato paste
• 2T flour
• Salt and pepper
• 1t corn flour
• 120g diced bacon
• Olive oil
• 16 shallots (whole)

First clean the chicken then coat the pieces in the flour and season with salt and pepper. In a large stew pot, heat some olive oil and brown the chicken pieces (only the ones with the bone). Once browned, remove and put aside (just on a plate next to you).

Mix the red wine, chicken stock, mustard and puree together.

Add the shallots and bacon to the stewing pot and brown slightly (1-2min). Add the red wine mixture, bayleaves, clove spice and chicken, then bring to boil….once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 50min.

After simmering for 50min remove everything (bacon, shallots, chicken and bayleaves) from the stewing pot so that only the sauce remains. Mix the 1t corn-flour with 2t water, to form a runny paste, then add to the red wine mixture and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until it thickens (about 5min), then add all the ingredients back and add the punett of mushrooms. You don’t need to have the stove on for the mushrooms to be cooked, they will cook in the hot sauce, let the mushrooms be in the sauce for at least 10min before serving….I made this in the morning…then I just re-heated quickly for dinner…..man so yummy…I served it with wild rice…but you could also serve it with fresh French baguette….it needs a starch that can soak…cause the sauce is delicious…sorry the pic doens’t actually do it justcice…but gives you an idea…..

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I love Wangthai Sandton……so Friday night we went there…good thing we made a booking because it was packed….we went there with some friends who had never been there before…..we decided to not have starters…but rather dig straight into mains (my friend has a sweet tooth…so we opted for the mains and dessert option….). I ordered the seafood chilli basil (hot), while the 2 males order chicken chilli basil (medium) and my friend ordered the sweet and sour pork (she hates anything remotely hot)..and off course some steamed rice for the table…..the food was amazing….the heat for me was perfect and for the guys the chicken chilli basil (medium) was also perfect…my friend’s pork was so soft…it was fab…we all loved our food (for mains I would give them 5/5)…..so why the 4/5….well I find a glass of wine is very pricey…we looking at the cheapest being R40…..a bit ridiculous if you ask me….also because of the dessert…let me explain…my friend and her boyfriend shared the deep friend banana with ice-cream…that was fab…the banana batter was nice and crispy…perfect…my husband and I shared the duo of Thai silk chocolate mousse…now when you think mousse what adjectives come to mind….smooth, light, fluffy….am I on the right track…well it was all but that…it was a dollop of chocolate….it was difficulty getting the spoon into it and actually breaking a piece to eat…way way not soft and way way too rich…NEVER AGAIN…hence the 4/5….the deep fried banana with ice-cream delicious though (it was not the banana spring rolls…might try those next time)….

Herewith the promised food photos from Si Si

Pizza Meatballs

Mussels

Spaghetti Carbonara

So last night my hubby was out and so was my dad…so my mom and I decided to cook dinner together….to start off we tried the new mussels from Woolies…have you seen them…amazing…they are from Chile…already cleaned and already in a prepared garlic broth…..so all we had to do it open the packet….add it into a pot and add a good gulp of white wine (this we decided because we love wine in a mussel broth…optional)…..when you ready to eat…just close the lid and cook on high hear for about 6min, until completely open…don’t e worried the mussels re already slightly open when adding them to the pot that is because they are pore-prepared…wow…what an amazing way to start of our meal…..for main course thank you Woolies again….we bought the prawns in coriander…so what I did..I prepared a large salad and slices an avocado, one tomato and some cucumber…tossed it into salad dressing and mixed…that way the avo gets a little mushy…instead of tossing it on top at the end (def prefer tossing avo, tomato, cucumber and salad all before….), the I arranged the mixed salad on the plate, whilst doing that I added some olive oil, garlic an d a fresh chilli to a pan, tossed in the packet of prawns….cook until warm, about 5min…then garnish salad….what a meal….absolutely loved it….and guess how much the mussels cost (pre-prepared)..your eyes will fall out of your head R35 UNREAL!!!! Enjoy….

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On Saturday evening we went to this relatively new (11 weeks) Italian restaurant. My husband and I got shown to our seats and ordered some water while waiting for my parents. The owner of the restaurant came to us and had a short chat asking whether it was our first time and whether we wanted some more light…I thought that was very attentive. When my parents joined we ordered some red wine. I looked at the menu and noticed that they didn’t have the Carpaccio and Parma-ham and Melon which I was so looking forward to (I sassed out their menu on dining-out before going there)…so I asked the owner about it…she said they have adapted the menu but she would check with the chef…I was in luck, they had Parma and Melon….we ordered our starters and mains and asked for them to give us some time in between (no problem at all)….for starters I shared the Parma-ham and Melon and the Carprese (Buffalo mozzarella) with my mom and husband…absolutely delicious…..my dad had the mussels, he said divine (I didn’t taste cause I had them for main)….For mains my mom and I both had the mussels in a creamy garlic sauce…great…and what a nice portion size, my husband had pizza..it came on a wooden board and was oval shaped….I must say….fab (he thought a little too much tomato paste was used for the base), I thought it was delicious and the mozzarella they use, yum yum…my dad had the Carbonara (half portion), he said it was very nice…..for desserts we were so full…that only my dad managed an Affogato…the owner then brought us the Chocolate Fondant…she said it was just a must try…and guess what…she was right…crispy outside, really gooey middle…so delicious…..so I have only positive things to say…why the 4/5….the restaurant was a little empty, so it lacked some vibe…but I guess that is because it relatively new…so give it a try and spread the word…and the other reason…I think only 4 starter options and only 4 options for main (other than Pizza and pasta), 3 of which are salads is too little…what happens if I don’t’ fee like Pizza or pasta…..anyway…def go there again…and I found it fab how much effort the owner made…..ill put up ics tomorrow…forgot my camera….

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Yesterday we went for lunch at Lucas…I am embarrassed to say we haven’t gone there since it changed venues….what a great spot…you can sit outside or inside….love it…..so we were there around 12:30 and there were a couple of busy tables…we were only meeting our friends an hr later…so we saw how it started to fill up…how nice…a really full restaurant…and thinks for a Sunday lunch…just great because it really creates an atmosphere….so today we decided not to have starters (I know…not even a salad to share…), I must say though the salads that came out of that kitchen looked absolutely amazing…def one for the table next time…for mains I had the grilled calamari with rice and veggies, the veggies swam a little in the oil which filtered into the rice (hence the 4/5), but ignoring the oil, it all tasted fab…my husband had the Spaghetti Carbonara…what a portion…he said it was rich (but that is Carbonara) but tasted great. Our friends had the rainbow trout (which came with head on….just in case you hate seeing the head order without) and he had the Mexicana Pizza, which my husband says tasted good and he would definitely eat a Pizza there. We shared a good bottle of wine and all in all we had a great afternoon, fab company and food…I def want go back and try some of their starters…from Carprese to big salad bowls to Foccaio and Carpaccio (looked great, table next to us had it)….